Safety shoe



K. A. STRl TT ER July 25, 1944.

SAFETY SHOE Filed Aug. 25, 1943 A [n ven zor Karl A Stritfier B1; hLs Attorney Patented July 25, 1944 UNITED STATES; PATENT OFFICE I" .I I -2 I I SA F E lTYSHOE Karl AI S tritter, ,Nahant, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation; Flemington, N. J'., a corporation of New" Jersey Application August 125, 1943 Serial No. 499,974

- 10 Claims. Cl. 36-:f-17)' This inventionrelates to so-called safety shoes such as those worn by workmen to protect their toes from being injured in the course of their employment as, for example, by being squeezed or crushed by heavy objects. ,Although not limited thereto, the invention is particularly adapted for embodiment in shoes of Goodyear e s u n.- 7 V In sarfety shoes Qf'jhiS general type as hereto: fore constructed the protection for the toes is afforded by a metallic toe box which prevents the. toe portion of the upper from collapsing under heavy pressure. Such a toe box will effectivelys'afeguard the toes from injury if, at the;

time when the shoe is subjected to external pres-;- sure, the forepart of the outsole is resting flats, wiseand directly upon the floor or the ground;

However, if there should be some small solid object, such as a bolt or anutor a chip of metal, between the sole of the shoe and the floor of the, factory when the crushing pressure is being ap'-. plied to the shoe that objectis liable to form an upward-bulge or bend .in the insole and thereby cause the joot to be squeezed and perhapsseri-r ouslyinjured even though the upperis prevented from ,collapsing by the toe box,

,fIo insure adequate protection for the toesoifl the footQunder such conditions I provide, in my improved safety shoe, a toe box and a toe plateeach' of which is made of-metal or other hard:

upon the underlying portions of the shoe to prevent the .toe box-from cutting through the upper margin and into the shoe bottom. The toe plate is located between the insole and the outsole and serves to prevent the portion of the insole which directly overlies it from being upwardly bent oiybulged by any object, projection or irregularityonthe floor or ground upon which the sole of the shoe may be resting or against which it, may be fcrcedwhen the shoe is subjected to, external pressure. The toe plate is somewhat smaller than the corresponding toe portion of the insole and it is positioned with its edge spaced inwardly from the inner edge of the toe boxflange so that it willnot interfere with such stitches or other fastenings as may be emplgyed to secure together the various parts of the bottom of the shoe. In the narrow region between the edge of the toe plate and the flange of the toe box the: several layers or plies of material which are tightly bound together by some or all of the stitches or other fastenings above referred liq-serve efiectiyely in conjunction with the fastenings to resist any force tending to distort or deform thecorresponding portion of the insole. For-use 1113511068 01 Goodyear weltconstruction the toe plate is shaped in marginal contour to fit material-,capable of ofieringa high degree of resistance to crushing or bending-strains,; these elements being constructed and arranged toxcoe; operatewith each other and with certainj-fele-u. ments of the shoe bottom to prevent any Sub-g stantial amount of inward displacement or-dis.-; tortion of any portion of the interior of thetoe of the shoe so that, regardless of how the shoemaybe supported whenlits toe portionis struck; heavy object or subjectedto crushing or: squeezing pressure, the space inside thetoe 41f. thelshoewill not be -reduced to such an extent as toeause injury to the foot.

shown, the toe bex is interposed between thejupperand the lining and it is formed with a. bcttom flange which underlies the edge of the in-= st le to reinforce it against upward distortion. Preferably the toe box is formed without'any. outward bulge in its side walls above the bottom:

flange thereby adapting ,theflange to support the box most eifectively against downward thrust tendingto collapse it. Preferably, also, the .toeboxffiange is formed with a fiat lower face of; substantial width adapted; to seat flatwise-sub stantia ly hm sh,0 -the. u 1widthp th flan e tightly within the bottom cavity inwardly of the insoleribmith the margin of the plate bearing against the inner face of the rib so as positively toltprevent the latter from bendinginwardly underthe; influence of anyforce tending to displace h h szbo t m u ar 'Ih "w plate stifiens the inseamed materials of the shoe and reinforces them, against such upward distortion as would result in reducing the heightwise dimensions'of' the interior of the toe portion of the shoe. For .even more effectively supporting and IelllfQlIClllgjhe insole rib of a welt shoe the tote: plate, as shown, may be provided with a downturned rnarginalflange forengaging the inner'face of the ribsubstantially throughout the full heightof the latter vIt ispreferred to employ between the inseam and the outseam, at least inthe toe portion ofthe shoe, a third seam theZstitchesOf which extend throughthe insole,

the inturned margins of the upper materials, the welt and the outsole in thelocality just inwardly of the ,toebox flange, these stitches serving tightly to bind together the parts through which they, extend thereby to: stiffen and reinforce the marginal portion of the shoebottom-against any such deformation or distortion as would occur it toe plate wereraised bodily by the presence or me solidtobjectbeneath the sole of the shoe at a time when the toe portion of the upper is being subjected to heavy external pressure. This third seam, by reinforcing the securement of the upper to the insole by the inseam stitches, serves also to anchor the upper to the insole with sufficient firrrmess to resist effectively any tendency of the side walls of the toe box to spread under pressure. Consequently, this seam helps to, prevent the toe box flange from being forced downwardly over the outer edges of the welt and the outsole in such a manner as further to reduce heightwise the space inside the toe of the shoe with resulting injurious effects upon the toes of the foot.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a view in longitudinal section of the toe portion of a safety shoe of Goodyear welt construction in which my invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the toe portion of the shoe;

Fig. 3 is a partial cro'ss-sectionof the shoe taken substantially along the line III-III of Fig. 2;

Fig, 4 is a perspective view of the metallic toe box and the metallic toe plate employed in the shoe, these parts being shown substantially in the relative positions which they occupy in the shoe; 7 e

Fig. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of' a Goodyear welt shoe illustrating particularly the use of a toe plate of a somewhat modifiedconstruction;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the toeplate shown in Fig. 5; and- I Fig, 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of a shoe of McKay welt construction in which my invention is embodied.

Referring to the drawing, the shoe illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, is of Goodyearwelt construction comprising an insole l0 having a marginal rib I2 and a feather I4, an upper l6, and an upper lining I8, the upper and the lining having lower marginal portions secured in overlasted positions beneath the feather and outwardly of' the rib of the insole. The overlasted margins of above the Welt so that the toe box will be firmly supported against downward thrust and will have no tendency to cut through the upper, or to cut into the shoe bottom material beneath the marginal portion of the upper. Moreover, in the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4, there is no outward bulge in the side walls of the toe box above the bottom flange. In other words, the side walls of the toebox are substantially perpendicular to the flat face 3| where they merge with the bottom flange 36. The bottom flange is thus adapted to support the toe box in a manner which is most effective to prevent collapse of the latter lying the inner face of the rib [2 to reinforce the upper, as shown, may comprise a vamp 32, which is out without any-toe portion, and a separate toe cap 34 the rear portion of which overlaps the vamp and is secured to the latter as by means of stitching 35, thusproviding ample space between the toe cap 34 and the liningl8 for the reception of the toe box. The illustrated toe box 30 is made from heavy gage sheet metal, preferably hardened and tempered steel, the metal being molded to conform to the shape of the toe portion of the shoe and having an inturned bottom flange 36. The bottom flange 36 is formed with a flattened surface 3| of substantial width adapting the flangeto seat flatwise upon the marginal portion of the upper where the latter is inturn'ed squeezed or otherwise injured by upward displacement or deformation of the insole in case some small solid object is located beneath the toe portion of the outsole when the shoe is subjected to pressure, a toe plate 40 is employed between the insole and the outsole. The toe plate 40 is preferably made of sheet metal and may be of substantially the same gage as that employed in making the toe box. However, the toe plate may be made of any other strong material which is highly resistant to bending or distortion. In marginal contour the toe plate 40 is shaped to fit tightly in the bottom cavity inwardly of the insole rib I2 with the margin of the plate bearing against the inner face of the rib to provide internal support for the rib, particularly'at its base portion, and thus to prevent the rib from being bent or deformed inwardly byany force tending to displace upwardly any portion'of the insole at the inner-side'of the rib. In order to rial 46 such as felt, cork composition or other plastic or cushioning substance, in order to provide a level bottom for the reception of the outsole. The filler 46 also serves as a cushionto absorb minorstresses resulting from upward dis}- tortion of the outsole. The metallic toe plate will positively preventany upward bulge or bendbeing' formed in the portion of the insole which is di'-' rectly above the plate by any object or projection upon which the sole of the shoe may be resting when heavy pressure is applied to the exterior of the toe portion as the result, for example, of the falling of a heavy casting orother object on the shoe. The presence of any object beneathf the sole of the shoe atsu'ch a time may,- -of cour se, have a tendency to forcebodilyupward t-he, entire portion of the insole which is above the toe plate.

Such action tends to distort the material-of the,

shoe bottom in the locality outwardly of "the toe plate in such a manner as to bend the rib, of the, insole inwardly. Consequentlythe flan ge'of the toe plate is efiective to resist such distortion by? supporting the insole rib against inwardbendingd However, in order to provide further insurance against "distortion of the shoe bottom i I'- prefer "to, employ between the inseam andthe outseamfat least in thetoe portionof the shoe, a third seam 48 the stitches of whichextendthrough-the insole 32 of the toe box. The stitches-48serve tightly to bind-together'the above enumerated parts of. the'shoe and further to stiffen and reinforce the marginal portions of the shoe bottom and 9 thus effectively supplement the action'of the toe plate in preventing distortion of thein'sole. *Mo'reover, the stitches '48 serve also to supplement the inseam stitches-22' in securing the upper to the insole and thus t'o' anchor the upper to the insole ina-manner to resist any tendency of the side walls of the toe box-to spread under pressure; n account'of this, the bottom flange of the toe box is quite positivelypreventedfrom' being forced downwardly overthe out'ei e'dges of the welt and the outsole in such a'manner as to -reduce'hei'ght-' wise the space inside the to'e'o'fthe' shoe, and resulting injurious effects'upon the toes of the foot are avoided," y

*In Figs; and 6' my invention is illustrated as embodied ina Goodyear welt shoe in which a toe plate "400 of modified construction is employed." Asshown, the toe plate 400' is shown as having no marginal flange and as being secured in place by-means of tacks 50-which are driven through holes 52 in the toe plate and are clenched against the upper face of the insole I0. The toe plate 400, being substantially thicker than the toe plate 40 hereinbefore described, and being disposed with its edge bearing against the rib I2 of the insole will support the rib against inward bending and, in cooperation with the inseam stitches 22, will serve to strengthen and reinforce the inseamed materials thereby to insure that no substantial amount of upward displacement of the shoe bottom will take place in the region between the toe plate and the bottom flange of the toe box 30. As shown, a filler piece 460 is provided between the toe plate 400 and the outsole 24. It will be noted in Fig. 5 that the feather of the insole I0 is somewhat narrower than in the insole illustrated in the preceding figures and that the space between the toe box flange and the toe plate is correspondingly reducedin width. Thus less opportunity is afforded for upward distortion or displacement of the shoe bottom materials in the vicinity of the inseam and it is practicable to make the shoe without employing a line of reinforcing stitches, such as the throughand-through stitched seam 48 employed in the shoe disclosed in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive.

My invention is illustrated in Fig. 7 as being embodied in a shoe of McKay welt construction, a toe box and a toe plate being employed which are so shaped and so disposed relatively to each other that ample space is provided between the toe box flange and the edge of the toe plate for a McKay stitched inseam 220 by means of which the upper l6, together with a welt 200, is secured to the insole. In this shoe the toe plate 402 is disposed with its edge spaced inwardly from the bottom flange of the toe box 30 to enable the upper l6 and the welt 200 to be secured by the inseam 220 directly to an unlipped insole I00. Advantageously and as shown, the toe plate 402 may be made thick enough to fill completely the space between the insole I00 and the outsole 24 of the shoe so that the use of conventional bottom filling material is rendered unnecessary.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A safety shoe comprising an insole, an upper having a marginal-portioninturned beneath the insoleaa toe box inside-theupper for preventing collapseof the-toe portion. of the upper, said box being capableiof withstanding excessive pressure Without crushing and havingan inturned bottom flange between the insole and the inturned marginal portion ofthe upper; an outsole, "a welt between the outsole and said inturned portion of the upper,'a line of stitches extending through the-welt and said-portion of the upper inwardly ofthe toe box flange and securing the upper and the welt to the insole, means securing the outsole to the welt, and awe plate between theinsole andthe outsolerinwardly of the-welt for preventing'inward distortion of the insole.

- 2. A safety-shoe comprising'an insolehaving a marginal rib and'afeather, an upper and a welt secured by inseam stitches to the insole rib, an"outsolesecured-by' outseam stitches to the welt, a toe box inside the'upper having an inturned" bottom flange underlying the insole feather,and a toeplat'e underlying the body'of the insole and having'its margin bearing against the inner face "of the insole rib and supporting the latter against inward displacement,the toe boxand the-toe plate each'being made of hard material capable of offering a high degree of re- ,sistance to bending.

3. A safety shoe comprising an insole having a marginal rib and a feather, an upper and a welt secured by inseam stitches to the insole rib, an outsole secured by outseam stitches to the welt, a metallic toe box inside the upper having an inturned bottom flange underlying the insole feather, and a metallic toe plate secured to the insole and engaging the lower side of the latter and having its margin bearing against the base of the insole rib and supporting the rib against inward displacement.

4. A safety shoe comprising an insole, an upper having a marginal portion inturned beneath the insole, a metallic toe box inside the upper having an inturned bottom flange underlying the edge of the insole and having a flat lower face toe box inside the upper, a metallic toe plate between the insole and the outsole, the edge of the toe plate being spaced inwardly from the edge of the toe box, and a line of stitches located outwardly of the toe plate securing together the upper, the insole and the outsole.

6. A safety shoe comprising an insole having a marginal rib and a feather, an upper and a welt secured by inseam stitches to the insole rib, an outsole secured by outseam stitches to the welt, a metallic toe box inside the'upper having an inturned bottom flange underlying the insole feather, and a metallic toe plate beneath the insole, said plate engaging the lower side of the insole and having a downtumed marginal flange bearing against the inner face of the rib substantially throughout the height of the rib.

7 A safety shoe comprising an insole having a marginal rib and a feather, an upper and a welt secured by inseam stitches to the insole rib, an

outsole secured by outseam stitches to the welt, a metallic toe box inside the upper having an inturned bottom flange underlying the insole feather, a metallic toe plate underlying the insole and having its margin bearing against the inner face of the insole rib, and a line of stitches extending through the outsole, the welt, the upper and the insole in the locality between the, inseam and the bottom flange of the toe box.

8. A safety shoe comprising an insole having a marginal rib and a feather, an upper and, a welt secured by inseam stitches to the insole, rib, an outsole secured by outseam stitches tothe welt, a metallic toe box inside the upper having an inturned bottom flange underlying the insole feather, a metallic toe plate underlying the insole and having a marginal flange bearing against the inner face of the insole rib, said plate being attached to the insole by means of prongs struck up from the rear edge of the plate and embedded in the insole, and a line of stitches between the inseam and the outseam securing together the outsole, the welt, the upper and the insole.

9. A safety shoe comprising an insole, an upper having a marginal portion inturned beneath the insole, a metallic toe box inside the upper having an inturned bottom flange between said inturned up er margin and the insole, a welt, stitches located inwardly of the bottom flange of the toe box and extending vertically through the welt, the upper and the insole and securing said parts together, an outsole secured to the welt, and a toe plate between theinsole and outsole, said, toe plate being located inwardly of the welt and said inturned upper margin.

10. A shoe comprising an insole, an upper having a marginal portion inturned beneath the insole, a safety toe box inside the upper for preventing collapse of the toe portion of the upper, said toe box having an inturned bottom flange between said inturned uppermargin and the insole, an outsole, an intermediate member between the outsole and said. inturned upper margin, a line of stitches, extending through said inturned upper margin and said intermediate member inwardly of theflange of the toe box and securing said parts to. the insole, means securing the outsole to said intermediate member, and a toe plate between the insole and the outsole having its edge spaced inwardly from said line of stitches, said toe plate being composed of material resistant to bending to reinforce the insole against inward distortion.

KARL A. STRITTER. 

